Photo Short: How Long Before Smartphones Replace Cameras?
I took today’s Photo Short at Lake Churup high in the Peruvian Andes. Although I had my DSLR camera with me, I shot this with my iPhone 5. As you can see the quality of the image isn't bad, considering the tiny lens and sensor in the phone. But it’s still a long way from the quality you get from a dedicated camera. If you look at the clouds, there's no detail at all in the highlights, they are completely blown out. The sensor just doesn’t have enough dynamic range to capture all the shadows and highlights in one image.
Admittedly, the iPhone 5 is old technology at this point, (with phones I never bother with the latest models). The reason I’ve been thinking about this, is because I recently saw some photos taken with the iPhone X, and I was astonished by the image quality. It got me thinking; How long will it be before people abandon their cameras in favour of smartphones? Perhaps for some that day has already arrived.
Consumer point and shoot cameras are becoming redundant. And if a phone can provide good enough image quality for the average consumer, how long until it’s good enough for an enthusiast? And then for a professional? Of course it’s not just about image quality, for me the process is just as important. I enjoy using my DSLR's and mirrorless cameras. Having interchangeable lenses and full control over the settings all adds to the experience.
If you could show this photo to someone twenty years ago, and tell them it was taken with a mobile phone, it would blow their mind. So, where will we be twenty years from now? Is it possible that within the next fifteen-to-twenty years only professionals and hardcore enthusiasts will use dedicated cameras?
| Location | Lake Churup, Peru |
| Camera | iPhone 5 |
| Lens | Fixed 4.12mm |
| Settings | 4.12mm | ISO50 | 1/1000 sec | f/2.4 |
| Post Processing | Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop | Niks Collection |
What do you think? Let me know in the comments section below. Have you already ditched your camera in favour of a phone? Or, do you think phones will never catch up to dedicated cameras?
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As you said, I feel like that day is already here. I know a lot of amateur photographers with entry-level DSLRs who have completely abandoned them in favour of their smartphones. I personally have always loved the feeling of taking photos on a camera and looking through a viewfinder since I was a kid, so I doubt i'd swap the convenience of snapping a photo on my phone for a camera.
I feel the same. I've started using a Fujifilm camera because it has an old style aperture ring on the lens, and a mechanical dial to change the shutter speed. For me, the experience of using the camera is just as important as the final image. It just isn't the same with a phone.
Yup totally agreed, when I switched to a Sony from a Canon, I found it so weird that I couldn't adjust things manually anymore with dials and the focus/zoom ring, but it was all controlled by software... but then again the camera is so much more portable... (I started getting lazy with the Canon..before it got stolen :'( )
Physics, man. It's hard to get away from physics. While smartphones are getting better and better at using software to overcome hardware shortcomings, and while undoubtedly they'll eat into the DSLR market, there's no way of putting a large sensor and lens on a phone, and so DSLR's can still take photos with many magnitudes better quality under all but ideal conditions. Maybe smartphones will get to where DSLRs are now, in a few years, but by then we will hope to see huge leaps in pro cameras as well. I just hope that enough people will still want to use pro cameras that companies like Nikon and Sony are able to keep advancing and producing them and price them affordably.
Yep, I'd think bigger always has to be better for glass and sensors. But, who knows? I'm always amazed at the leaps they keep making with the software.
I think of it this way, though - if they can make those great strides in software for smartphones, how much more powerful will those same improvements be when paired with big sensors and lenses?
That's a good point. And also, the whole idea of what a photo is and the way we view it could change. Maybe we'll end up taking 3D holographic images with our cameras, or who knows what else.
That's a great point!
I wouldn't be surprised the technology is so sophisticated. Maybe cameras will be just like those old film cameras of the past. Retaining a charm but not necessary
I think you're probably right, but I'll still be using them.
Hey Snaptravel! great shot, im always surprised whats possible to create with a phone cam! ps. your website is awesome :D
Thank you. And thanks for checking out the website, I'm glad you liked it.
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